Nivek, having detected something amiss with Ed's bed, wanted to curse loudly. But he suddenly sensed something from behind him.

The moment he turned, he was met by a barrage of steel marbles rushing toward him.

He had very little time to react. The attack was too unexpected and sudden.

With no time to think, Nivek, his face painted in clown makeup, twisted violently sideways and downward. The movement came from his waist, bending toward the ground in a way that defied normal human flexibility.

The sound of creaking, colliding bones followed the sudden motion.

The high-speed projectiles whistled over Nivek and struck the stone wall behind the bed, nearly penetrating the solid surface.

Nivek twisted his lower body in an exaggerated arc before snapping it back. His spine realigned itself with an audible click as he moved.

He glanced at his left shoulder: two round, bloody holes marked where he'd been hit.

The attack had been too sudden to dodge completely.

And because it was a shotgun blast, even with his best effort, two marbles had struck him.

Nivek's clown face darkened. Veins bulged on his neck.

He pushed off with his legs, kicking forward like a shot arrow, and burst straight through the nearby window.

Ed, now fleeing as if pursued by a monster, knew full well that several men were waiting outside the villa's gate.

His only real concern was whether any of them possessed extraordinary powers.

He scaled the adjacent wall at high speed and dropped into the neighbor's yard.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The sudden barking didn't slow him. Taking long strides, he used his hands and feet to scramble over the neighbor's main gate.

His movements were fluid, like a professional parkour runner.

The guard dog, roused from sleep, only saw a dark shadow fly past and barked twice out of habit, perhaps thinking it was the neighbor's cat again.

The sound of shattering glass and barking dogs alarmed the surrounding residents.

It also alerted the gang members lounging outside the villa.

"What happened? Did he miss?"

"How is that possible? You said he was just a street magician. How could he escape Nivek?"

As they spoke, they saw Nivek crash down from the broken window like a cannonball.

"Look, there!"

One of them spotted Ed fleeing in the distance.

The men exchanged glances. A younger member immediately took off after Ed, pulling a pistol from the back of his pants as he ran.

Unexpectedly, two older members caught up and stopped him.

"Ahem. We go together. It's not safe to work alone."

They spoke as they pulled the younger man along after Ed.

"Woof! Woof!—Whine!"

The barking broke off abruptly into a pained yelp.

A dark shadow vaulted over the courtyard wall, several meters high, in a single hurdling motion.

It landed on the street outside, legs nearly straight, body low to the ground, and sprinted after Ed with a gait that was anything but human.

"Let's go after them!"

After the younger man spoke, the older members looked at each other. One shook his head and sighed wearily.

"If that guy made Lord Nivek miss, do you really think we can take him? If you want to die, go ahead and chase him."

The younger man swallowed hard, slowed his pace, and only then realized he wasn't running toward a promotion, but toward his death.

The three gang members fell into a casual, slow-paced jog, maintaining a safe distance. Only when the two figures had completely disappeared from sight did they finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

By now, Ed had seen the clown chasing him like a monster.

Holding the gun with both hands, he fired two shots behind him. With his right hand, he holstered the now-empty shotgun on his thigh and kept running, pistol in hand.

The enemy clearly had extraordinary abilities and couldn't be handled with a pistol alone.

Ed didn't know whether it was due to magical artifacts or the man's own power, but the pursuer was clearly not human.

Either way, it was more than Ed could handle right now.

His objective was clear: reach the city gate.

Having lived here for several days, Ed had learned the basics of the city's layout. As a tourist hub, there was no curfew, and the gates typically remained open.

He had already crushed the signal crystal.

Andre and his team, who should have been preparing for their expedition, ought to have received his distress call.

All Ed needed to do was hold out until they arrived.

The rifles carried by the guards at the city gate should be enough to restrain the clown behind him.

A pistol shot and a spray of shotgun pellets forced Nivek, who was closing in fast, to slow down. The spread was tricky.

Nivek halted his sprint and dodged with two quick jumps.

"You shoot pretty accurately, you bastard!" The words came through gritted teeth, his eyes now bloodshot.

The bloody hole on his left arm had already healed completely, leaving only a thorn-like pattern traced across the skin.

Upon landing, he resumed chasing Ed with that same hurdler's gait.

"Help! Someone's trying to kill me!"

Ed's sudden shout pierced the night, loud, sharp, laced with fear and misery.

The cry, along with the occasional dull gunshot, carried far in the silent darkness.

Rather than panicking, a cruel smile spread across Nivek's face. Without hesitation, he sped up, unconcerned about witnesses.

He dodged the incoming bullets with ease.

Through reflections in the glass around him, Ed watched the clown closing in desperately as if Ed had personally wronged him in some unforgivable way. A look of helplessness crossed Ed's face.

No way. I have to think of something. He's too fast. If this keeps up, he'll catch me in no time. Damn it, where are all the guards when you actually need them?

Cursing under his breath, Ed reached toward his waist and drew three steel cards.

After a split second's hesitation, he stopped suddenly, turned, and hurled them behind him with all his strength before bolting again.

As for card skills, Ed trusted them far more than his own aim. If they could buy him even a little time, that was enough.

Two of the cards flew like silver streaks, arcing toward Nivek from left and right.

Unclear what they were but unwilling to take the risk, Nivek stopped short. He crouched and jumped hard.

The first card passed beneath him and embedded itself in the doorpost of a nearby shop.

The second followed. Still in the air, Nivek twisted his body in an impossible contortion, watching the silver light graze past his throat.

Moonlight glinted off the metal, flashing across his face.

The evasion made Nivek frown slightly. He no longer underestimated Ed.

As he landed—

"Ah!"

A card from nowhere pierced his calf. Before he could even curse, something sharp stabbed into his backside.

"Ahhhh! Motherf*cker!"

The card he'd dodged midair had somehow reversed in a spiral arc and struck him in the buttocks.

Both cards were now embedded in his body. Nivek roared like a wounded animal.

"Damn it!"

Beyond the pain, the humiliation of being toyed with drove Nivek nearly mad. His bloodshot eyes burned with rage.

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